Gender Roles in Entrepreneurial Leadership
Gender Roles in Entrepreneurial Leadership
Cullen Strady
Florida State University
ENC 2135: Research, Genre, and Context
Andrew Zolot
July 06, 2022
Gender Roles in Entrepreneurial Leadership
Introduction
Extant scholarship on the role and conception of gender in entrepreneurial leadership remains an area of incessant debates and discourse. Scholars in the discipline of entrepreneurship focusing on exploring perceptions of female entrepreneurial leaders have demonstrated a consensus that women and entrepreneurial leadership have habitually been exhibited as incompatible concepts. This tends to reinforce the notion that the attributes and characteristics relating to successful entrepreneurial leadership are aligned with masculine engagement and performance. Tlaiss and Kauser (2019) affirm this point, contending that entrepreneurial leadership research is frequently gendered as masculine or male when describing men’s dominant role and influence in leadership tasks. These presumably distorted perceptions of women as inferior and men as superior in entrepreneurial leadership imply that gender roles in this area of community discourse comprise a subject of heated deliberations and ceaseless controversy. The current investigative field essay aims to offer a perspective that contributes meaningfully to the discourse on this controversy.
Overview of Perspectives and Orientation
The visualization and portrayal of women and entrepreneurial leadership as two contradictory constructs have ensued from implicit and explicit gendered biases that persist when conceptualizing leadership in entrepreneurship scholarship. According to Kimbu et al. (2021), these biases are indeed a legacy of masculinity and patriarchal dominance that is predominantly endemic in this area of scholarship. Subsequently, exemplary entrepreneurial leadership has been linked with masculine performance, consequently generating notions that consider female entrepreneurial leaders subordinate and incompetent. Eventually, this notion subjects women to a dichotomous framework that intellectualizes them as inferior when compared to their “sagacious” masculine counterparts, who are viewed as enviable entrepreneurial leadership archetypes (Kimbu et al., 2021). Ultimately, such a dichotomous framework has created a predisposition within the entrepreneurial leadership literature where everyone in society has to be gauged for leadership competency by being compared to this already established masculine scoring standard. For this reason, the experiences of women in entrepreneurial leadership roles have not been encounters to pride in, especially when factoring in the elements of competency and performance.
With the discourse taking ever-expanding directions, the feminist theory has, however, induced a new twist to the tale in the gendered discourse. Greater engagement with this theory, coupled with the ongoing realization that entrepreneurial leadership is socially constructed, has driven some scholars to unearth assertions entrenched in universalism, which are pervasive in the dominant perspectives about entrepreneurial leadership (Kakabadse et al., 2018). Other recent feminist researchers have cautioned that the feminization of entrepreneurial leadership remains apparent amidst new shifts toward complexity. According to Kakabadse et al. (2018) and Kimbu et al. (2021), this feminization is characterized by alternative performances becoming more associated with women. This creates a tendency to reemphasize the already prevailing gendered dichotomies. Essentially, this constrains the possibility of deconstructing the established masculine standard, eventually ignoring the multiplicity attached to masculinity.
This perspective furthers the discourse surrounding the perpetual placement of women as the proxy for gendered roles in entrepreneurial leadership. Kakabadse et al. (2018) contend that positioning women this way waters down the essence of proper epistemological positioning and direction of research that accounts for a deeper contextual understanding of gendered perspectives by considering an extensive gamut of gendered experiences that transcend the beyond “women” dichotomy. From another angle, Tlaiss and Kauser (2019) express their thoughts within the post-structural feminist lens of viewing this discourse. They sustain that the narratives given by women in the two groups they studied (compliance group and hesitant group) show that cultural norms leave them unfree to perform their gender as they would desire. This is the case even when it comes to entrepreneurial leadership functions. Looking at these diverse perspectives, the discourse on gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership is broadening. It is vital to join the conversation as it progresses, a feat realized via this investigative field essay.
Relevance and Significance
Readers of this investigative field essay will find it important because it will give them insights into the predominant perspectives that have prevailed in conceptualizing gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership. Further, they will learn about some of the theories upon which these perspectives are premised, understanding the relevant abstractions that precipitate divergent claims regarding the role of women in entrepreneurial leadership within a seemingly patriarchal framework. Further, this investigative field essay will be relevant to its readers by allowing them to comprehend differences in cultural values and identities relating to women’s engagement in entrepreneurial leadership. This is by examining and comparing these cultural values and identities between Western and non-Western cultures. Finally, the essay will be relevant to the readers by giving them a hint of the expected future direction of the discourse regarding the gendered nature of entrepreneurial leadership conceptions. At a personal level, this investigative field essay is valuable to me because I focus on becoming a commercial entrepreneur. In other words, I was interested in this area of investigation initially because of my passion for becoming a competent and ambition-driven entrepreneur in the mercantile domain after my graduation. So, the essay will impart insights into what I anticipate concerning the dynamics, patterns, and considerations of ethical entrepreneurial leadership when running my future enterprise.
Methods
Toward accomplishing this investigative field task, I approach the research using two approaches. The first method is to consult scholarly literature addressing this topic through a systematic literature review of professional publications. The second method is to collect data about perceptions surrounding gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership via an interview with an expert in this discipline to garner additional insights into conceptions and perspectives about the subject matter. Concerning the first method, I have already conducted a literature review using resources annotated previously and other extra publications. I am currently in the interview process with a professional in this discourse area using an informational interviewing approach. I have chosen an informational interviewing technique because it helps gain in-depth details about the subject, as Lun (2020) suggests. The aim of leveraging both methods of investigation is to obtain data to help address some questions, including the following:
Do feminine and masculine gender role characteristics positively influence the self-efficacy of entrepreneurial leaders?
What normative notions have persistently placed men and women in intrinsically different positions based on a dichotomous framework of conceptualizing entrepreneurial leadership?
How do cultural values and culture at large contribute to observable differences in feminine and masculine entrepreneurial leadership?
What are the trends and patterns of gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership?
Addressing some of these questions via this investigative field essay will add meaningful knowledge to the present discourse about gender roles in shaping entrepreneurial leadership.
Investigation Results
The literature review revealed vital findings concerning the interplay between gendered attributes and entrepreneurial leadership. These findings agree with the interview results from the professional in the entrepreneurship discourse community to illuminate gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership. The pseudonym I used for the interviewee is Martin Gonzalez. I deemed using this penname vital in maintaining the interviewee’s confidentiality and safeguarding their personal identity. This interview generated valuable insights into contributing meaningfully to the discourse about gendered entrepreneurial leadership.
One important thing I learned from the literature and the interview about gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership is that a gender-dichotomized framework of inquiry pervades dialogs surrounding the exploration of the leadership construct within entrepreneurial contexts. Within this frame, the dominant dichotomies are masculine/feminine and male/female, which establishes a seemingly absolutist nexus between entrepreneurial leadership, gender, and entrepreneurial performance. Tlaiss and Kauser (2019) suggest that this entrepreneurship and leadership nexus views entrepreneurial leadership as a blend of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial management, and entrepreneurship orientation. Harrison and Leitch (2018) admit that these dichotomies place male or masculine in the position of a universal, neutral touchstone against which the female, woman, or feminine concept is judged for their entrepreneurial leadership performance. This is consistent with Kimbu et al. (2021), who agree about the gender dichotomies of entrepreneurial leadership entrenched on a male-dominated agenda. These scholars suggest that the inclination to masculine-centered evaluations propagates the tendency where all people in entrepreneurship must be appraised for leadership competency via comparisons to an established masculinity-based scoring criterion.
Essentially, judging women’s competencies and capabilities using a patriarchal standard often produces subjective and biased outcomes concerning their ability to deliver when serving in entrepreneurial leadership positions. Echoing similar thoughts, the interviewee mentioned that contemporary approaches to this discourse are already prejudicial. The reason is that women are screened for entrepreneurial leadership abilities using a masculinity-based paradigm, ultimately depicting the feminine as inferior when given leadership positions (Gonzalez, M., personal communication, June 29, 2022). Consequently, women’s entrepreneurial leadership encounters and experiences are nothing to apprize because the masculine scoring ideals set limits that eventually display their leadership competencies and performance as mediocre. These assertions explain that placing gender roles within a distinctly masculine context will ultimately fail to generate the true picture of the nexus between entrepreneurial leadership, gender, and leadership proficiency and performance for women. This is why Kakabadse et al. (2018) advocate that investigation into this nexus of leadership, gender, and entrepreneurship necessitates paying attention to contexts wherein women entrepreneurial leaders function. Otherwise, gendered notions will continue to influence entrepreneurial leadership development.
Further, the literature and interview revealed crucial findings about the importance of culture and cultural values in comprehending gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership. As per the interviewee, women play an imperative role in entrepreneurship, but feminine free enterprise and entrepreneurial leadership remain significantly lower than their masculine equivalents, which is attributable to culture and cultural principles (Gonzalez, personal communication, 2022). Numerous scholars agree with the interviewee. For instance, Bullough et al. (2022) contend that many constraints and barriers to successful entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial leadership female entrepreneurs encounter stem from cultural norms, values, and traditions. Sharing similar sentiments, Megheirkouni et al. (2020) establish that national cultural values and stereotypical characteristics of gender in non-Western cultures (specifically Middle Eastern) contribute to the gender differences in entrepreneurial leadership evident in these primarily male-dominated cultures. Kimbu et al. (2021) found that non-Western cultures, specifically African cultures, maintain gendered sociocultural norms inclined to defining and assigning general and entrepreneurial leadership as an attribute of masculine identity. Probably, this stems from the entrenched universality of the already formed male-centered scoring standard for leadership.
Other researchers have appreciated the role of cultural values in shaping discourses about the gendered nature of entrepreneurial leadership, consistent with the interviewee’s opinion. For instance, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (2021), Harrison and Leitch (2018), and Kourtesopoulou and Chatzigianni (2021) affirm that challenging sociocultural norms, gender role stereotypes, problematic cultural interactions, and lower culturally-constructed societal feminine expectations in these masculine-dominated cultures hamper women’s success in entrepreneurial leadership. In extension, this implies limited opportunities for women regarding entrepreneurial leadership development and promotion to higher leadership positions. From another stance, Tlaiss and Kauser (2019) assert that sociocultural values pull women in Lebanon (a male-dominated culture) in different directions concerning entrepreneurial leadership and entrepreneurship. These scholars, however, observe that these women entrepreneurs are now leveraging different strategies to adopt, utilize, and even reject gendered and sociocultural norms that define their entrepreneurial identities.
Finally, some cultures conceptualize gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership from the level of emotional and cultural intelligence, which are deemed crucial leadership traits. Within the discourses about leadership in entrepreneurship, the gender with low cultural intelligence is associated with limited capabilities to display high work engagement and innovative work behavior necessary in entrepreneurial leadership (Pinela et al., 2022). In male-dominated cultures, women will typically be fingered as having low cultural intelligence and even emotional intelligence. However, Kourtesopoulou and Chatzigianni (2021) found that women perform better in emotional intelligence, particularly the self-awareness component. This implies they show better performance in handling recoveries from service failures and leveraging stress coping strategies. Even so, many cultures remain entrenched in the dichotomous framework that conceptualizes men as sage and omniscient exemplars (Kimbu et al., 2021). Regrettably, entities in these cultures will still be predisposed to view women as inferior to men regarding the demonstration of cultural and emotional intelligence in entrepreneurial leadership.
Summary
The research and interview findings in this investigative field essay show that gender roles in entrepreneurial leadership comprise an area of ongoing scholarly discourse. The most noticeable elements in the discourse are cultural values and the dichotomous frame of reference when addressing women’s gender roles in entrepreneurship and leadership. Discovering these discourse features and their impact on conceptualizing gendered outlooks in entrepreneurial leadership research helped make imperative contributions to the conversation. Therefore, I appreciate having engaged in this investigative inquiry, as I have gained insights into what I expect to face when delving into leadership in commercial entrepreneurship.
References
Bullough, A., Guelich, U., Manolova, T. S., & Schjoedt, L. (2022). Women’s entrepreneurship and culture: gender role expectations and identities, societal culture, and the entrepreneurial environment. Small Business Economics, 58(2), 985-996. Doi: 10.1007/s11187-020-00429-6.
Gonzalez, M. (June 29, 2022). Personal interview. Martin Gonzalez.
Harrison, R. T., & Leitch, C. M. (Eds.). (2018). Research handbook on entrepreneurship and leadership. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Kakabadse, N. K., Tatli, A., Nicolopoulou, K., Tankibayeva, A., & Mouraviev, N. (2018). A gender perspective on entrepreneurial leadership: female leaders in Kazakhstan. European Management Review, 15(2), 155-170. Doi: 10.1111/emre.12125.
Kimbu, A. N., de Jong, A., Adam, I., Ribeiro, M. A., Afenyo-Agbe, E., Adeola, O., & Figueroa-Domecq, C. (2021). Recontextualising gender in entrepreneurial leadership. Annals of Tourism Research, 88, 103176, 1-12. Doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2021.103176.
Kourtesopoulou, A., & Chatzigianni, E. E. (2021). Gender equality and women’s entrepreneurial leadership in tourism: A systematic review. Gender and Tourism, 11-36. Emerald Publishing Limited. Doi: 10.1108/978-1-80117-322-320211002.
Lun, M. W. A. (2020). Informational interview: Broadening helping field professional students’ perception of employment opportunities in the real world. Journal of Social Service Research, 46(1), 124-132. Doi: 0.1080/01488376.2018.1532943.
Megheirkouni, M., Thirlwall, A., & Mejheirkouni, A. (2020). Entrepreneurial leadership in Middle East sport businesses: The impact of gender differences in cultural values. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 35(2), 167-188. Doi: 10.1108/GM-01-2019-0006.
Pinela, N., Guevara, R., & Armijos, M. (2022). Entrepreneurial leadership, work engagement, and innovative work behavior: The moderating role of gender. International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), 10(2), 19-40.
The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. (November 2021). Gender stereotypes and their impact on women entrepreneurs. Survey Report Exploring the Experiences of Women Entrepreneurs in Low and Middle Income Countries. The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.
Tlaiss, H. A., & Kauser, S. (2019). Entrepreneurial leadership, patriarchy, gender, and identity in the Arab world: Lebanon in focus. Journal of Small Business Management, 57(2), 517-537. Doi: 10.1111/jsbm.12397.
